Vulcan Ventures Inc

Vulcan Ventures Inc., the investment company headed by billionaire Paul Allen, is funding a new electronic commerce company that is developing a shopping service for the Internet, cable TV and other emerging media. Bellevue, Wash.-based Mercata Inc. is developing a Web site and shopping service that will let consumers shop on the Internet and cable TV for consumer electronics, home appliances, tools, watches and sporting goods.

Billionaire investor Paul Allen might be moving off TheStreet.com Inc. (TSCM). Vulcan Ventures Inc., an investment vehicle for Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp., and InfoSpace Inc. (INSP) might each sell their 2.4% stakes in TheStreet.com Inc., according to a regulatory filing. InfoSpace, which sells electronic-commerce services, and Vulcan each hold 670,167 common shares in TheStreet.com, a New York-based Web site that provides financial commentary and news. TheStreet.

Vulcan Ventures Inc., the company that invests for billionaire Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, said it will acquire closely held One-On-One Sports Inc., a sports radio network, to increase its sports-related holdings. Bellevue, Wash.-based Vulcan Ventures said One-On-One will be renamed Sporting News Radio Network. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The company acquired the Sporting News in February from the former Times Mirror Co.

Oxygen Media Inc., an Internet and cable-television company that caters to women, said it had received $100 million in new funding from Vulcan Ventures Inc., the investment company run by billionaire Paul Allen, Microsoft Corp.'s co-founder. The money will let New York-based Oxygen develop new Internet and cable-programming services and increase its cable subscribers, a spokeswoman said.

Oxygen Media Inc., an Internet and cable-television company that caters to women, said it had received $100 million in new funding from Vulcan Ventures Inc., the investment company run by billionaire Paul Allen, Microsoft Corp.'s co-founder. The money will let New York-based Oxygen develop new Internet and cable-programming services and increase its cable subscribers, a spokeswoman said.

Billionaire investor Paul Allen might be moving off TheStreet.com Inc. (TSCM). Vulcan Ventures Inc., an investment vehicle for Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft Corp., and InfoSpace Inc. (INSP) might each sell their 2.4% stakes in TheStreet.com Inc., according to a regulatory filing. InfoSpace, which sells electronic-commerce services, and Vulcan each hold 670,167 common shares in TheStreet.com, a New York-based Web site that provides financial commentary and news. TheStreet.

Allegiance Telecom Inc. said Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures Inc. will pay $75 million for a 2% stake in the local phone operator, with the option to increase that stake to 10%. As part of Microsoft Corp. co-founder Allen's "wired world" strategy, his investment firm Vulcan Ventures will buy 1.5 million shares of Allegiance common stock from its existing private equity investors at $50 per share.

Technology investor Paul Allen and cable television operator John Malone came to the aid of Priceline.com Inc. on Tuesday, pouring $190 million into the struggling Internet retailer that allows shoppers to "name their own price" and giving its stock a badly needed boost. Microsoft Corp. co-founder Allen, through his investment arm Vulcan Ventures Inc. and Malone, as chairman of AT&T Corp. cable programming group Liberty Media Corp.

Paul Allen is no longer the "accidental zillionaire." That was the tag attached to him in a 1994 Wired magazine article summing up the Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder's investment program as dabbling and driven by a half-baked view of the future. Yet five years later, Allen has become one of the Internet economy's most successful and influential investors.

Internet computer retailer Value America Inc., whose shares have fallen 93% in the last year, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as it closed its online store and fired 185 people. The company said it will reorganize as a business helping manufacturers, distributors and vendors fill online orders and seek payment over the Internet. Value America began business with funding from such investors as billionaire Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures Inc. and Frederick W. Smith, chairman of FedEx Corp.

Vulcan Ventures Inc., the company that invests for billionaire Microsoft Corp. co-founder Paul Allen, said it will acquire closely held One-On-One Sports Inc., a sports radio network, to increase its sports-related holdings. Bellevue, Wash.-based Vulcan Ventures said One-On-One will be renamed Sporting News Radio Network. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. The company acquired the Sporting News in February from the former Times Mirror Co.

Technology investor Paul Allen and cable television operator John Malone came to the aid of Priceline.com Inc. on Tuesday, pouring $190 million into the struggling Internet retailer that allows shoppers to "name their own price" and giving its stock a badly needed boost. Microsoft Corp. co-founder Allen, through his investment arm Vulcan Ventures Inc. and Malone, as chairman of AT&T Corp. cable programming group Liberty Media Corp.

Paul Allen is no longer the "accidental zillionaire." That was the tag attached to him in a 1994 Wired magazine article summing up the Microsoft (MSFT) co-founder's investment program as dabbling and driven by a half-baked view of the future. Yet five years later, Allen has become one of the Internet economy's most successful and influential investors.

Allegiance Telecom Inc. said Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures Inc. will pay $75 million for a 2% stake in the local phone operator, with the option to increase that stake to 10%. As part of Microsoft Corp. co-founder Allen's "wired world" strategy, his investment firm Vulcan Ventures will buy 1.5 million shares of Allegiance common stock from its existing private equity investors at $50 per share.

Vulcan Ventures Inc., the investment company headed by billionaire Paul Allen, is funding a new electronic commerce company that is developing a shopping service for the Internet, cable TV and other emerging media. Bellevue, Wash.-based Mercata Inc. is developing a Web site and shopping service that will let consumers shop on the Internet and cable TV for consumer electronics, home appliances, tools, watches and sporting goods.

Metricom Inc. investor Paul Allen agreed to boost his stake in the company to 49%, solidifying the Microsoft Corp. co-founder's hold on the wireless data-services provider. Allen's Vulcan Ventures Inc. investment company said it will buy 4.65 million Metricom shares for $56 million and, in a separate transaction, agreed to buy an additional 2.58 million shares from the Lindner Group for an undisclosed amount. The two purchases would raise Vulcan's stake to 49%.

Ziff-Davis Inc. agreed to sell its 64% stake in the ZDTV interactive cable television channel to Paul Allen's Vulcan Ventures Inc., getting $204.8 million from its partner in the venture to help reduce debt. The computer magazine publisher, a unit of Japan's Softbank Corp., is selling assets to help boost its share price. The company hasn't made a profit since selling shares to the public in April 1998.